Box Score
JACKSON, Miss.-The Belhaven women's basketball team defeated Blue Mountain College 78-60 Friday night in Rugg Arena to open the Coaches' vs. Cancer Tournament. The Blazers, ranked 25th in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll, used a strong second half to pull away for their second win of the year against the Toppers.

Belhaven (3-0) struggled to find a rhythm in the first half as Blue Mountain (1-2) hung with them in the opening 20 minutes of action. In fact, the first half featured 11 different lead changes and five ties through the first 14 minutes of the contest. The Blazers finally grabbed the lead for good on a layup and free throw by Rachenia Powell at the 5:14 mark which gave Belhaven a 29-26 edge. Sarah Carr followed with a triple on Belhaven's next possession making it a 32-26 advantage and eventually the Blazers would hold a 36-32 lead at the break.

Belhaven fired out of the gate strong in the second half and moved in front by double digits for the first time thanks to an 8-2 run. Portia Tucker connected on a layup with 17:39 to play giving the Blazers a 44-34 lead. The Toppers would get no closer than eight points the rest of the night as Belhaven continued to pour in the points. The Blazers largest lead of the night was 29 points at 76-47 with just over four minutes to go following a layup from Keishara Rouser. From there, Belhaven cruised to the 78-60 victory.

Tucker led Belhaven on the offensive end of the floor for the second straight game, this time pouring in a game high 19 points. She had 27 points last Saturday against Blue Mountain and just missed a double double on Friday with a nine rebound effort. Tucker was 9 of 12 from the field as she was able to work her way inside for high percentage shots. Carr was the other double figure scorer for Belhaven dropping in 11 points against the Toppers. She also registered seven assists and as a team Belhaven picked up 22 assists in the game. Kiara Johnson and Christina Jaques chipped in with eight points each and Ericka Leflore had seven points and nine rebounds. Powell ended the night with seven points as well.

Belhaven owned the paint as evidenced by a 52-38 edge in rebounding on top of 44 of the 78 points being scored in the lane. The Blazers converted 43.1 percent of their field goals (31-72), 36.4 percent of their triples (4-11), and 60 percent of their free throws (12-20).

Blue Mountain had three players in double figures led by Brittany Walls with 13 points. Jessi Hayles fired in 12 points and Brandy Walls finished the night with 10 points. Kati Prince had a team high seven rebounds and Candace Davis dished out five assists. The Toppers made good on 35.9 percent of their field goals (23-64), were held to 15.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc (4-26), and converted 62.5 percent of their free throws (10-16).

Belhaven will be back in action on Saturday night when they host Tougaloo College at 6:00 PM in Rugg Arena.